Legislative Update 03.14.25

Dear friends and neighbors on the Iron Range,

We have completed our last week of the one seat GOP majority, since the special election in the Roseville/Shoreview area took place earlier this week. Official changes will go into effect next week, once our 134th member will be sworn in on Monday. Speaker Demuth will maintain the Speakership for the remainder of this biennium. The main change that we will see is that all of our committees, except the Fraud Committee, will be cooperatively led by GOP and DFL co-chairs, alternating every other meeting. This will be an adjustment for sure, but it emphasizes the need for bipartisan work in order to pass legislation for the needs of all Minnesotans.

Hockey Hall of Fame

As you know, there has been some talk of USA Hockey moving the United States Hockey Hall of Fame Museum from Eveleth to St. Paul. The USHHOFM is part of our heritage, and I am a staunch supporter of keeping the museum in Eveleth. I’ve authored HF2294 to support the museum where it is now. I am hopeful that with some incentives we can encourage the USA Hockey Board to maintain the museum, right here in the birthplace of hockey.

Bill Introductions

HF576 – This bill provides funding for infrastructure improvements to the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District (CIRSSD). With St. Louis County putting a new maintenance facility on the north leg of Hwy 5, these updates have become necessary. Brian Pervenanze did a great job laying out the project for members of the Capital Investment Committee.

HF574 – This bill provides funding for a much-needed new drinking water system to serve the East Range Water System and its member communities. The city has done great work, to date, collaborating with federal and regional partners on the start of the project and this funding will help to complete it.

HF429 – This is a bill to fund the wastewater treatment facility in Eveleth. It was great to have Mayor Roen in St. Paul to testify in the Capital Investment Committee with me on this request.

Meetings this Week

In conjunction with my introduction of HF574, I had the opportunity to meet with constituents from the communities impacted by the East Range Water System. Senator Farnsworth and I talked with them about the state of their drinking water system and the impact that this bill would have. It was good to get a handle on their need for these improvements and then be able to introduce the bill that would help them. Thank you, gentlemen, for taking the time to discus the needs of your communities.

Jon Skelton, Town of White; Doug Gregor, Aurora; Lucas Heikkila, Aurora; and Jake Berndt, Hoyt Lakes.

Jack Goldenman with the MN Trappers Association was in town and we had a great opportunity to catch up on issues that affect his membership. I am grateful to these skilled individuals, who spend a huge amount of their time managing wildlife and doing pest control too, helping to keep roads open, and saving taxpayers money in the process.

I was able to attend the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) annual legislative dinner this week. It was great to see familiar faces and reminisce on my time as a member of this board. They have a great partnership with the IRRRB, which I am proud to be a member of. It was also a nice opportunity to catch up with my friend, Jed Holewa, who is a new member of the RAMS board!

It was great connecting with the members of Hospitality Minnesota, including Fred Seymour from Guest Services at our very own Giants Ridge Golf & Ski Resort.

My son, Thorin, was with me for a couple days this week. He attended meetings and got to see a little bit of my work as a legislator. It was a great opportunity to spend time together during a season where we aren’t often able to. He was even able to meet Speaker Demuth!

I had a great meeting with Cheryl Elj from St. Louis County, where we explored initiatives for creating age-friendly communities that help seniors remain in their homes longer. We also discussed a range of other key topics aimed at improving the quality of life for older adults.

I got a chance to see one of our family friends, Sara Maki, this week. She was able to join us in Tax Committee too, where we hosted folks from resorts in Minnesota, who brought their floatation devices. It was great to catch up with Sara and share how we operate in the Capitol building.

I was able to speak to a group of students from Victory Christian Academy. It is always great to see young people at the Capitol, ready to engage and learn about the process here. Thank you to these students for listening intently and for their support!

Mountain Iron – Buhl Basketball Team

Our Mountain Iron-Buhl Boys Basketball team faced off with Deer River in the Class 1A, Section 7 Semifinal game last night. Unfortunately, they fell to Deer River with a score of 61-73. This does not diminish the impressive season they had though, congratulations to our Mountain Iron-Buhl team for all of their accomplishments this season!

Please Contact Me

Please continue to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you. The best method is to use my email – I am rarely near the office phone, but that number is 651.296.0170 and you can try me there too.

Have a great weekend!